This invention relates to tactile sensors for sensing an object based on detecting the deflection pattern in a sensor surface caused by contact of the surface with the object.
Typical tactile sensors have force-sensitive deflection-responsive sensor members associated with the sensor surface and electrical circuitry which connects the members to an analyzer for determining a physical parameter (e.g., shape, size, location or orientation) of the object being sensed. The analyzer makes a bi-level determination of whether a member is or is not subject to a force. Such tactile sensors are expensive to make, require complex sensing circuits, and have operational deficiencies.